We’re just four days away from the festival and we’re guessing you’ve probably got a few questions about what to expect this year!
Made in the West Film Festival is on THIS SATURDAY 21 November at Event Cinemas Liverpool.
Thanks to Event Cinemas Liverpool and the team at Still Searchin’ Productions, this year’s festival line-up of Western Sydney short films will be screening on TWO huge V-Max cinemas! We can’t wait to show you the films our local filmmakers have been working on. You’re in for a real treat!
Here’s what you need need to know:
CONFIRMING YOUR ATTENDANCE
Remember to accept your seating ‘bubble’ allocation tomorrow to confirm your ticket. We need to check that we’re seating you with the right group! Plus, we need to confirm numbers so we can open up the waitlist for spare seats. Be sure to accept your allocation in the email.
All tickets should be reserved under correct attendee names. If you have reserved tickets for your friends or crew, please ensure each attendee name is on their ticket so that they can enter the festival site and we can find their name on our guest lists at check-in.
Double-check your guests are coming. Eventbrite allows you to easily change, cancel and update your orders, so please don't let a ticket go to waste if you decide not to come. Contact us if you need help cancelling or changing your tickets.
ALLOCATED SEATING WITH FRIENDS
All seats will be allocated according to your confirmed group ‘bubble’ allocation. Bubble seating means that friend groups who arrive together can sit together during the show and we will leave gaps between nearby groups. If you’re flying solo, that means you’ll get a bubble all to yourself!
You and your bubble will receive a coloured wrist band upon arrival. That way we can easily identify your group and allocate your seats.
GETTING THERE IS EASY
Parking is free after 6pm in the Westfield rooftop car park. Event Cinemas is located on the top floor of Westfield Shopping Centre, on Elizabeth Drive in Liverpool. We’ve pushed back our start time to after 6pm so that everyone can access the free rooftop parking for the cinema, which means you can avoid public transport without worrying about the parking costs.
We highly recommend car pooling with your group bubble! Assign a designated driver to get you all home safely, or make use of our 15% discount offer to stay at Quest Apartments and make a night of it! Use the code WFF at the online reservations screen to access your discount any time before December 2021 - thanks Quest Apartments! See our FAQ page for details.
If you are taking public transport, be mindful of scheduled trackwork. Trains will not run between Richmond / St Marys and Granville, so for those travelling on the Western Line, this means getting a free replacement bus service to Granville, and then getting a T2 or T5 train service to Liverpool. Visit Transport NSW to plan your trip and travel safely.
WALK THE RED CARPET
Dress to impress because you’re sure to get snapped by our festival photographers! Red carpet opens 40 minutes before each screening. Invite your cast and crew to take pics in front of our media wall before the show and during intermission then we'll share the photos with you next week when we share the festival photo gallery.
Keep an eye out for our red carpet TV crew! We’re capturing the highlights of the night and interviews with filmmakers on the red carpet. You can check out the highlights in our Online Film Festival program one week later, along with all 28 finalist films!
SETTLE IN FOR A FUN NIGHT AT THE CINEMA
We’re so excited to be hosting the festival at Event Cinemas again this year! Thanks to our venue sponsors and the awesome team at Event Cinemas Liverpool, we’re going to be watching Western Sydney films in style -- on TWO huge V-max screens with theatre-style seating, comfy leather armchairs and the entire west wing of the cinema all to ourselves!
Did we mention the private bar? We have a private bar with a selected menu (based on our faves!) and the cinema is fully licensed. We’ve got a nice selection of beers & wine plus a couple of our favourite cocktails too. The cinema is fully licensed so you can bring your drinks to your seat with you. The foyer bar will be open throughout the event, selling candy bar food and drinks, plus alcoholic drinks and cocktails.
Order hot food when you arrive, then collect during intermission. The cinema is opening the kitchen especially for us, so we encourage you to pre-order hot food at the bar when you arrive, then schedule your hot snacks for collection at Scoop Alley during the intermission.
DRINKS & NETWORKING
If you have a drink, you need a seat. The rules for our private function are just like those at a bar or pub -- if you have a drink in your hand, you can’t be standing around talking to people. It’s a pretty simple rule, but it is one we will need to encourage on the night.
Of course, if you want to go and visit another group bubble to say hello, you can always just park your beverage at your seat then go off to mingle!
If you would like to know more about how we’re all staying safe this year, check out our plans for hosting a Covid-safe festival.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
VIP Premiere Awards Night commences at 7pm. This screening includes 20 short films in two segments, with a half-hour intermission between and after. At the end of each segment we will announce the individual category awards (check out 2020 nominees!) and once all the films have screened we will call on the audience to vote for the Audience Choice Award. The final trophy presentation is scheduled for 11pm.
Made in the West Marathon commences at 8pm. This screening includes 22 short films in two jam-packed segments with a half-hour intermission between, finishing at 11.30pm. Once all the films have screened we will call on the audience to vote for the inaugural 2020 People’s Choice Award.
No need to rush off after the show because the bar is open until midnight. Take a seat and chat to your friends, introduce yourself to someone you’d like to collaborate, or take a minute to congratulate this year’s winners.
Are you green with envy because you can’t make it to the festival? Join us on Saturday 28 November for Made in the West Online Film Festival! We’re bringing the red carpet to you with a huge line up of short films sure to keep you glued to the telly all night. Grab a drink, get the popcorn ready and settle in on the couch at home for a full night of festival films plus highlights from the red carpet and interviews with Western Sydney filmmakers… because if there’s anything 2020 has taught us all, it’s that we love having access to Sydney’s best cultural events from home!
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE FILM
You decide the final award winners of the festival! After both screenings we will hold a live audience vote so YOU can nominate your favourite for the Audience Choice Award (announced on the night) and our inaugural 2020 People’s Choice Award (announced after the Online Festival one week later). Even the attendees at our Online Film Festival get to vote for their favourite too! We can’t wait to see who you select for the final prizes.
This year we’re doing things differently - we're running our live audience vote online, so there's no need for us to hand out pens or collect your voting cards at the end of the night. Simply scan the voting QR code we give you live during the show and choose your favourite film, it is as easy as that!
AWARDS AND PRIZES
If your film is in the 2020 Official Selection, you’re in the running to win! Independent filmmakers will compete for the title of Best in the West, a prestigious award recognising the top talent from Western Sydney each year, as voted for by our panel of judges. Student filmmakers will compete for the Best Student Film Award and total bragging rights among your mates because let’s face it, your bright future in film will be practically assured. We’ve also got individual category awards for Best Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Screenplay, Sound Design, Original Score, Actor and Actres.
This year we have some amazing awards & prizes to give away! We’ve secured over $10,000 in prizes, thanks to our wonderful sponsors, including studio hire, DOP and foley packages for your next project, workshops, consultations and mentorships with industry experts, actor’s headshot photo packages and best of all, an invitation to join us on Made in the West TV and The Pagey Train podcast -- so many great things to get you started on a productive year of filmmaking in 2021! Good luck to all of the nominees.
WE CAN’T WAIT!!
We hope this information has been helpful! Check out our FAQ page if you have any questions that went unanswered, or get in contact with us if you need any help.
We’re SO excited to see you all on Saturday at the festival and one week later online -- we can’t wait to showcase this fantastic selection of 2020 Western Sydney films.
See you on the red carpet!